Gender-reassignment medical costs for court of appeals clerk will be covered by state

Labor & Employment

Gender-reassignment medical costs for court of appeals clerk will be covered by state

By Martha Neil

Jan 24, 2013, 09:24 pm CST

A settlement has been reached concerning a medical insurance coverage lawsuit brought by an Oregon Court of Appeals clerk, who argued that the state discriminated by refusing to provide an otherwise-covered benefit to a transgender employee.

The state has agreed not only to compensate Alec Esquivel for the doctor-recommended hysterectomy at issue but to pay for prescription drugs, operations and other treatment concerning medically necessary gender-reassignment surgery for its other transgender employees, the Statesman Journal reports.

Esquivel, who will be paid $36,000 under the settlement, was represented by Jennifer Middleton of Johnson Johnson Larson & Schaller in Eugene. A Lambda Legal page provides additional information about the litigation.